RUMELİ’DE KADINLARIN KURDUKLARI PARA VAKIFLARININ EĞİTİMDEKİ ROLÜ

Abstract

In the Ottoman Empire, waqfs were non-profit organizations which were established to meet the basic needs of the Ottoman society in the fields of religion, education, culture and health. In conjunction with requirements of the time, waqfs became the financial source of economic and commercial life in the 16th century after they became prominent with debates in the society and with religious permission of Sheik al-Islam and approval of the Sultan. Although waqfs and cash waqfs were not able to solve the inequality in distribution of income, which existed much or less, they played a vital role in terms of keeping it at the level of society’s limit of tolerance. In addition to Ottoman men who were chief actors and main bearers of the waqf institutions, Ottoman women fulfilled their duty on this matter properly as well. In addition to the Sultan and other members of dynasty who tried to meet the needs of society in accordance with the Turkish tradition, high rank Ottoman bureaucrats and their families pioneered the establishment of cash waqfs. Waqfs, especially cash waqfs were founded by women in the Ottoman Rumelia region to support education. In this study, 11 waqfiyahs, which were not published before and belonged to the period from the second half of 16th century to the beginning of the 20th, century will be examined.